Baseball Calls Cities on Expos' Interest

While the Montreal Expos prepared to pare payroll, the commissioner's office got ready for the first step in the process of selling the team.

The commissioner's office telephoned government officials in Washington, D.C.; Northern Virginia; and Portland, Ore., and told them that if they are interested in having the Expos move to their area, they should express an interest by the end of February.

There was no formal announcement by the commissioner's office, but details were provided Saturday by a high-ranking baseball official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"These were areas that we had heard were possibly interested, areas that we had been reported in the newspapers as possibly being interested," the baseball official said. "It was nothing formal, no forms, no questionnaire, not a request for proposal or anything like that."

After baseball's plan to eliminate the Expos and Twins last winter was stopped by the Minnesota courts, the Expos were bought by the other 29 teams for $120 million from Jeffrey Loria, who purchased the Florida Marlins for $158.5 million from John Henry, who was part of the group that paid a record $660 million for the Boston Red Sox.

The Expos are being operated by the commissioner's office, which has ordered the team to keep its payroll to about the same level as this year, approximately $40 million. To do that, general manager Omar Minaya must trade players.

To increase revenue for the Expos, whose home attendance is among the lowest in the majors, the commissioner's office is moving 21 home games next season from Montreal to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The commissioner's office would like to sell the Expos by the 2004 season, and commissioner Bud Selig last month established a committee to be in charge of the process. No team has moved since the expansion Washington Senators became the Texas Rangers after the 1971 season.

Baseball's inquiries to cities were first reported Saturday by The Washington Post.